MLB Network will be televising Sunday's Rangers vs. Guardians matchup, with the first pitch from Progressive Field set for 1:40 PM ET. The Guardians are the betting favorite, with their money line odds sitting at -127 compared to the Rangers at +108. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs.
Cody Bradford will be starting for the Rangers, and he is facing off against Matthew Boyd and the Guardians. Texas is currently 3rd in the AL West with a record of 60-70, while the Guardians are 1st in the AL Central at 74-55.
Texas vs. Cleveland Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Rangers at Guardians
- Where: Progressive Field Cleveland
- Date: Sunday, August 25th
- Betting Odds CLE -127 | TEX +108 O/U 8.5
Rangers vs Guardians Last Game Recap
Cleveland cruised to a 13-5 win over the Rangers in the most recent game of this series. The Guardians had a huge 3rd inning, scoring four of their five runs. As for the Rangers, they scored their only two runs in the 7th. Heading into the game, the Guardians were favored at -134 on the money line.
Ben Lively got the win for the Guardians, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs. He finished the game with just four strikeouts and allowed one home run. Jon Gray had a rough outing for the Rangers, taking the loss after going just two innings and giving up six earned runs.
Jhonkensy Noel had a big game at the plate for the Guardians, going 3/5 with a home run and three RBIs. Jose Ramirez and Bo Naylor each drove in two for Cleveland's offense.
Rangers Preview
When the Rangers are favored, they are 39-31 straight up, but they are just 22-48 against the run line. Their run line record as underdogs is 32-28. The over/under record for Rangers games this season is 58-67, and the average run total in their games is 8.7 runs.
Texas is 60-70 overall and 9.5 games behind the Astros in the AL West. They are 1-1 in this series vs. the Guardians and have an overall series record of 16-24-1. The Rangers are 26-39 on the road and 34-31 at home this season.
Cody Bradford gets the start for the Rangers today as he faces the Guardians on the road. So far this season, he has made seven starts and four of them have been quality starts. Bradford's ERA for the season is 3.56, along with a record of 4-1. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up three earned runs in seven innings of work. Before that, he had won three straight starts. Looking at his numbers, opponents are batting .208 off Bradford this season, and his WHIP is .95.
Corey Seager comes into the game as the Rangers' top home run hitter, but he is batting just .226 over his last eight games. This comes after a stretch in which he went 11/39 with six runs and four RBIs. Seager is hitting .270 for the season, and his 28 homers are the best mark on the team. Adolis García is also near the top of the league in home runs but is batting just .226 for the season.
As a team, the Rangers are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They are also just 16th in home runs and have a team batting average of .238. Texas' team OPS of .684 is also just 21st in the MLB.
Guardians Preview
Heading into today's game, Cleveland is 74-55 overall and holds a 2-game lead over the Royals in the AL Central. They are 39-21 at home and 35-34 on the road. The Guardians have lost two straight series and have a 23-13-5 series record for the season.
When favored, the Guardians have a 51-27 straight-up record and are 34-15 at home. Their run line record is 63-66 overall and 28-32 at home. The over/under line for today's game is 8.5 runs, and the over has hit in two straight games for Cleveland.
Matthew Boyd is getting the start for the Guardians today as they host the Texas Rangers. Boyd has had a pair of no-decisions to start the season, with his most recent outing coming against the Yankees, where he went 5 1/3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits.
Heading into today's game, the Guardians are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 12th in the league. At home, they have been even better, putting up 5 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting just .238, but they do have the league's 11th ranked home run total. Cleveland's offense has been led by José Ramírez, who is 2nd in the league with 102 RBIs and has gone deep 33 times.
Over his last eight games, Josh Naylor has struggled, going just 3/29 at the plate. However, he is 2nd on the team with 28 homers. Jhonkensy Noel has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 7/22 in his last seven games, including two homers. Daniel Schneemann comes into the game on a three-game hitting streak.
Rangers vs. Guardians Prediction: Guardians ML -127
Our favorite bet for today's Rangers vs. Guardians matchup is to take the Guardians on the money line at -127. We have the Guardians winning this one by a score of 6-5, which gives us some good value on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Matthew Boyd is projected to finish with six strikeouts, and we have him finishing with a better ERA than Cody Bradford. If you're looking for a parlay, you could look to pair the Guardians with the over, as we have the final score being 6-5.
